This study compared the effectiveness of two instructional methods--problem-based instruction within a face-to-face context and computer-mediated participatory simulation--in increasing students' content knowledge and application gains in the area of information problem-solving. The instructional methods were implemented over a four-week period. A two-group, pretest-posttest, randomized control design coupled with an independent sample t-test on learning group gains was used to examine effectiveness. The results of this study show that the simulation group experienced significant overall (which refers to combined knowledge and application abilities) gains from pre-implementation to post-implementation (T = 1.852, p = 0.04*); however, as we divide overall development into its constitutive parts, the results suggest that the two instructional methods may have distinctly different affordances. (Contains 5 figures and 3 tables.)